and then Dan appeared

My bookgroup meets this evening, and after a last minute change of plan last month we’re looking forward to dinner on the house at the local pub, which will surely not divert the conversation from discussing this month’s title

It was an easy read as noted in the review I linked to above, but warm days and sultry nights demand nothing more, really.  I enjoyed it and am looking forward to hearing what everyone else thought and if they found the same character as irritating as I did.

As I moved the title into the “books I’ve read” collection on my Kindle, the next title came into view. 

Of course, I didn’t see it like that; my main issue with my Kindle being that I don’t see the cover and the blurb unless I go looking for them.  But I’d forgotten the prompt which led me to buy the book and simply went straight into the first chapter, taking an almost instant dislike to one of the main characters.  It was a good read, I found the setting and location of the story fascinating and instantly wanted to learn more about the Lamorna group of artists whose relationships form the backbone of the tale.  I wanted to know if these people were as they were described and if these events really did happen so did a search on the internet and learned a great deal about them.  I was glad to learn that the book stays pretty close to what really happened and though the events didn’t always turn out as I expected them to do, it was easy to imagine how in such circumstances, life wouldn’t be quite as straightforward as it could be.  I particularly liked the full spectrum of characters.  I didn’t like everyone, found one intensely irritating (as I suspect I was supposed to) and warmed to others as the story unfolded.

The trouble is, in googling around, I couldn’t help but come across this and him and from then on, any mental image of his character was of course, good old Matthew Crawley.  It didn’t help that as many reviews have noted, there are some broad similarities between Gilbert Evans’ character and the Downton one and as I finished the book, I rather hoped that as I didn’t seem able to avoid the film, it would be worth watching.  Sadly, the reviews are not very good (“it’s not a good sign during scenes with him and Florence when you find yourself admiring their earth-toned knitwear”) so I’ll plan to settle for the perfectly acceptable pictures which are in my mind, formed only from the written word (and an unintended image of Dan Stevens as one of the characters).

And for my next book…well, about as far away as a community of artists in pre-war Cornwall was one can get, I think.

And Dan is not invited to the party.

6 degrees of separation

Or even fewer!

We met Caroline and Paul a couple of cruises ago, and we delighted to find them on board once again when we sailed from Hong Kong earlier in the year.  Since their home isn’t so far from here, we tried to engineer an occasion to meet up when Ellis and Mary were but time was limited and sadly it didn’t work out.  But when an invitation arrived from them for a Sunday in mid-July, we were delighted to accept and yesterday we joined them and their friends for an elegant afternoon in their lovely garden.

It was hot.  One of the hottest afternoons of the year (so far…) and just perfect for the occasion.  It’s so unusual to be able to plan an outdoor event with confidence, but right now, the weather is so settled that for once, decisions about what to wear were easy.

We weren’t sure we’d know anyone else, though Caroline had mentioned that another couple from our cruise were expected and having shared the same ship with them for three weeks, surely, we’d recognise them even if we didn’t know their names? Actually, it wasn’t so – quite how we can live in a community of fewer than 500 people and not come across everyone remains a little mystery, but with shared experiences to chat about we made up for lost time.  Of course, the conversation moves on to other interests and connections and sure enough, in no time at all, mutual friends and colleagues are identified and there are expressions of “No – really?  I haven’t seen xxx in ages!….how is he?  how’s xxx (his wife)?…”  Coincidence, to be in an altogether different set of people and yet, the first couple we speak to have connections to other friends, acquaintances and colleagues.  Never mind six degrees of separation, more like three or four!

The next encounter was a little more of a surprise.  A conversation with another couple highlighted similar holiday habits and we soon found ourselves chatting about favourite places in Switzerland where they had just been and where we will be shortly.  They too had come some way yesterday afternoon, albeit from the opposite direction from us.  Comparing journeys (as you do) familiarity with our neck of the woods was apparent and the name of the next village was mentioned.  This wasn’t the first time it had happened – the woman sitting right behind me at the concert in New York recently came from that same village – it just seems to be that kind of place.  But, this party guest knew the area well because he had been head of a local school until his retirement.  Oh, and yes, it happens to be the same school where one of our good friends teaches!  What’s that…three degrees of separation or two, then?

Remarkable, isn’t it?  In a bunch of about forty or fifty people, quite some distance from our normal habitats, here we were, discovering all kinds of links and networks.  Who’d have thought it?

Even more of a surprise then, to see a particularly familiar face suddenly appear in the garden. Sue, a dear friend from WI circles, was not only one of the Textile Treasures but also one of us who wears her Millennium Craft Spectacular campaign medal with pride.  She and I have shared a few bottles of this and that in some “interesting” places, most memorably celebrating her ruby wedding in a pub somewhere near Harrogate.  Well, fancy seeing you here! 

Fearful that, the way things were going we’d discover some long lost cousin amongst the remaining people in Caroline and Paul’s garden, we settled into a patch of shade and our heroes joined us in putting a few things right here and there. 

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Good things

Driving to Hereford yesterday in the sunshine, with a sandwich lunch by the side of a green, green field of barley.  Why does the most ordinary food taste so much better in the fresh air?

It was also my WI meeting last night and possibly the one evening of the year when we don’t need to put on the village hall heating!  We’d invited the head of art from our local comprehensive school to come and talk about his work and looked forward to getting an inside view of what goes on there behind the fence.

He spoke with genuine passion for his subject and it was clear that this young man had a real talent for bringing out the best in his pupils.  He’d brought sketchbooks and other examples of work done by youngsters at different stages of their learning and passed them round for us to see the widely differing interpretations of the challenges he’d set.  Then, having brought his talk to a close, he produced some large sheets of paper, some graphite sticks and a few inspirational images before inviting us to take up the Year 6 challenge to draw.

Were we up for it?  You bet!

The inspiration was the work of Joan Miro and in particular, the drawings which represented birds.  The particular features were pointed out to us, including the interconnected shapes, the checkerboard patterns and the smooth curves.  We were encouraged to work large, to be confident and to have fun.

We needed no encouragement.  Even the most reluctant artist amongst us was happy to get her hands dirty and add her “bird” to the collective work in progress.

I’m sure it was no coincidence that we all lingered longer than usual afterwards, chatting over a glass of wine, discussing our own art education and rather wishing we’d had similarly enlightened teaching during our schooldays.  One thing was sure – spending ten or fifteen minutes with a chunky graphite stick and a large sheet of paper brought a smile to everyone’s face.

All the more reason to support this, then.

Just where is the culinary edge anyway?

The butchery assistant was not confident I’d made the right choice when I was out shopping last Wednesday.  Wearing her “Meat expert” apron, she was clearly the best person to advise and yet, I couldn’t help but ignore her warning and buy the piece of “top rump” for Friday evening’s supper.  We were expecting friends for the weekend to celebrate my Hero’s birthday and knowing the temperatures were likely to soar, I wasn’t considering a meat-and-gravy meal, that’s for sure.  But the beef was clearly labelled “for roasting” and it was with a slight shake of the head that she packaged the piece up for me.

Nigella’s “Scandi Supper” was the plan.  Vodka marinated beef flavoured with peppercorns and garlic, cooked quickly and served in thin-thin slices with dill potatoes and a green salad.  As the gas man arrived to sort out our (over) heating issue, I was squidging the beef around in the ziploc bag, making sure that all was evenly distributed.  I’d already got the Margarita ice cream in the freezer, ready.

For two days I worried that I’d been silly to ignore the advice of the meat expert.

On Friday evening, I cooked the beef exactly as the recipe, three and a half minutes each side and fifteen minutes left in foil to rest.

The end result was absolutely delicious  (what a relief) and kick started a great weekend, much of which was focused around a table with knives, forks and glasses in hand.  A picnic at Compton Verney (having had the place almost to ourselves during the tennis) and then, my Hero’s birthday supper at Casamia on Saturday evening, which will rank amongst the most memorable of meals.  Though our menu was different from the one in this review our experience was much the same and we were similarly overwhelmed from start to finish.  Our exceptional dish was “lemon, ricotta and pea” – a few peas, shoots and puree scattered on top of a spoonful of ricotta cheese which had been cleverly placed over a dollop of lemon curd.  Totally inspired and possibly the star of the show (until the next dish arrived, that is).  We were sitting at the Chef’s Table, so had the benefit of expert input from Jonray himself and as the evening progressed, we learned so much about how these clever dishes are created.  Who knew that, since we taste the flavour of softer textures before the crunchy ones, a chef can manipulate our experience by adjusting these textures?  So, the tarragon which accompanies the strawberry dish is included in small shards of meringue and the flavour arrives on the palate sometime after the strawberries from the jelly.  Fascinating!

I might add that the wines were pretty spectacular too, including the surprise of the evening, a liqueur made from 72 varieties of tomato which accompanied a tomato and mozzarella dish.  Yes, ever so slightly odd, probably one of those bottles which would lurk in the cupboard having sampled it once, but on this occasion, at this moment and in these knowledgeable hands, it was the perfect accompaniment to an extraordinary plate of food.

We talked non stop about it afterwards!

The conversation continued for the remainder of the weekend, throughout the birthday lunch in the garden and on into the evening.  It lasted as we worked our way through almost all of the slow roast pork which had been in the oven all morning alongside the olive-oil drizzled summer vegetables.  The chatter turned into slight mutterings of protest when the tiramisu and the strawberry pavlova arrived on the table but resistance proved futile and we all succumbed in the end.   When a birthday falls on a weekend, when the sun shines and the day is filled with sweet calls and good wishes from family and friends, how special it is to be able to sit back, relax and savour the moment, not to mention whatever appears on a plate in front of you!

Phew, what a scorcher!

Not quite yet, but predicted for the weekend.  So hopefully, the gasman will return at the earliest opportunity to undo whatever it was he did during his boiler service yesterday to make our central heating crank up at full strength this morning.

Fancy a sauna anyone?